System of Dawn
by merixthexninja
Summary: One year after the Avatar failed for the second time to defeat Ozai. The Fire Nation has won the war, but two teenagers are going to risk everything to change that. Two assassins, two elements, Zutara.
1. First

System of Dawn

Prologue

Zuko's voice echoed in their heads as the small group of children and teenagers came up to see that great, towering palace on the horizon. It had been raining that night when Zuko left them, after only being with them for a month. He was to go ahead and enter the palace, using his intricate knowledge of the grounds. He said he had someone who would be a great help to them and he would go a day ahead of time to persuade her and set everything up. Then at dawn the next day, they would enter the shore on the far side and come around the back towards the capitol with Zuko leading them through to the Fire Lord's throne room.

Aang tried to keep this is mind as he stood in the bitter cold of three in the morning atop that hill. He was holding hands with the girl beside him, which didn't work too well to calm his nerves but was still quite enjoyable. If the plan failed again, or worse—if he lost any of his friends, the war would be over. This was the last chance. The comet would come in one week. After that, there would be no hope. He'd already failed the world three times. Once, a hundred years ago, then again in Ba Sing Se, and then just recently during the invasion.

How many times could a man fail before he was deemed a failure?

A deep breath.

Katara smiled at him. "Ready?"

He smiled back, feeling just a bit more courageous. "Yeah."

End Prologue

One

The Hope that Wouldn't Die: Bloom Anew, My Passions, My War Cry!

_I know you_

_I walked with you once upon a dream_

_Before the sky collapsed_

_That walk had meant the world to me._

Dark grey was the sky, as it seemed to be always. The "Masters" were out, having a merry time, whilst the maids tidied up the house for the evening's merrymaking, the usual dinner party for a Friday night. It seemed so funny how the lives of one side of the schism could be so goddamned merry while the other side lived like rats, hiding in the rafters and catering to the Fire Nation.

Katara happened to be born onto the wrong side. Her heritage had cursed her to this life of misery. Even if she had pledged allegiance to the Fire Nation (which she had to fake anyway to be allowed to live and given a chance to earn her bread), her eyes and skin condemned her to a life of serving others--namely, the golden-eyed rulers of the world.

In her tattered maids robe she obediently swept out the dirt from the house into a neat pile near the front door. This was a daily task, so there was not but a handful of dirt, swept in by the feet of guests and the wind of doors opening and closing. The day was utterly mundane, and each day a depression grew over her, choking the air from her lungs and weighing her light frame down with lead regrets. She expected nothing more from life, nothing more of happiness, and nothing like what she would find as she opened the door to sweep the dirt into the street.

She clicked the lock off and heaved the door open, minding not to skew her neat pile of dirt. This was all she'd known for the past year, but the moment she looked up towards the man shoving postcards in the mailbox, everything changed.

His eyes were gold, and if that were all that was significant of them she would have paid no never mind to it. But the one, the left, was badly burned all around and back past the ear. Choppy black hair attempted to cover the worst of the damage, but it was far too prominent to be overlooked that easily. She looked into these eyes—one hateful and one scarred—and all the painful memories of her past came rushing back to her.

She dropped the broom onto the floor and it clacked against the tile once and rested with a thump. The man looked over at her now for the first time, and she could see in his eyes what she felt in hers.

"Why are you here, Zu—"

His hand clamped over her mouth and he gave a course shush. "Shut up, you idiot, unless you want us both to be put to death!"

Her eyes widened as she realized what he meant. She hadn't needed to use a false name, for "Katara" was fairly common in the Water Tribe. With a name like his, though, you could be sure that he was the one and only, so notorious in its sound that people from way out in the countryside had heard of him and hated the traitor to their country. Just mentioning his name could get one in trouble.

She nodded, letting him know that it was okay to remove his hand, and he did such. She wasn't free for a moment though as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her away. Down the street they turned into the first ally, and he agilely hopped up a stack of crates and over the fence, leading her right behind him. On the other side, he released her from his tight grip, and they sat and regained their breathe for a moment.

Looking at him, she let it all out. "What happened to you a year ago? You said that you were going to help us overthrow the Fire Lord, but when we got to the palace, you had vanished!"

"You don't take any time at all, do you?" He sighed and shook his head. "My name is Lee now, and vanishing wasn't by any choice of mine. Do you go by the same name, still?"

She bit her lip and held back the tears that threatened to burst free. "You vanished, and nothing had gone right since then. The world rested on your shoulders. What excuse could you have!"

He grimaced and turned away. "I thought I could trust Mai. I was mistaken. She told Azula everything I'd written to her, and Azula saw that I was detained. I was locked in a prison cell on a Fire Nation ship for three months. When I escaped, everything was different."

Her voice softened a bit. He had an excuse, after all. Now her excuse had been ripped out from under her. "I'm sorry. I didn't know…"

"Don't apologize. It was my fault for trusting her."

"Trusting Azula?"

"No. Mai… We'd been in a relationship for some time; the days passed too quickly to count. I thought we had something, I thought I knew where her loyalties lied. But in the end, she belonged to Azula, as always."

Katara decided to let the topic drop; she couldn't stand the look of agony on his face, although for the past year she'd fantasized about him repenting for abandoning them in their time of need many, many times. Now that she had her wish, she found she couldn't stand it. How disappointing. Yet, she felt a piece of her old self fall back into place.

"You're a mail boy?"

"Mail_man_. You're a maid?" He chuckled at the uncharacteristic career.

"You're a maid of the post office, so don't laugh."

"You make no sense, so that entitles me to laugh."

"I make perfect sense. You're the one wearing a paper hat."

He snarled, "Shut up! It came with the job!"

"Whatever you say, mail boy."

He glared at her. "You're difficult, you know that? I should just go turn us both in for treason."

"Go ahead; I have nothing to lose."

This struck him. How could a girl change that much in a year's time? "You have your life and your freedom."

"Exactly. Nothing."

"That's everything! What of your oaf of an older brother? And your little blind friend?"

"I haven't seen Sokka in nine months. Toph in eight."

He was silent at this. Apparently everything had gone downhill for someone other than himself since the Avatar's defeat. It was almost unbearably uncomfortable for the longest time as the two were silent, each deep in thought and painful recollection. Katara appeared to stare off into space, occasionally closing her eyes to reopen them a moment later, trying to see the sky from someone else's point of view. Slowly, she pieced together an idea out of the scraps of fantasies and storybook heroics floating in her mind. At times like this, she worried about the state of her own sanity, but she decided to go for it anyway.

"Would you like a second chance?"

"What?" Zuko asked, clearly confused by the sudden and strange question.

"Actually, it would be your third, wouldn't it? Would you like another chance?"

"Depends. Chance to do what?"

"Save the world."

He stared at her, unblinking and unmoving. When he finally came to the point where he could manage a muscle movement, he replied unbelievingly, "You're daft."

"Am not! My proposal is perfectly sane. You and I could try one last time to accomplish our mission. I have nothing to lose, and from the looks of it, neither do you. What do you say? One last adventure, for old times' sake?"

"Oh, you're definitely daft." He gave an amused smirk, "I'm in."

End Chapter One

A/n: Please don't expect regular updates for this. My main story at this time is Cattails, and I have enough work to update that once a week. If I have free time, I'll work on this, but the updates might be as far apart as two months until Cattails ends (though I hope not.) I do actually have up to the third chapter written, but I'd like to edit it a bit before I post. There won't be that much heavy Zutara action, either; it's just not my style. I do hope to have them share a few kisses before the end, though. ;) I plan to have twenty-five chapters for this. Oh, and don't confuse the title with the band _System of a Down_. The two aren't related (and dawn and down are completely different words, anyway.) So, just shove this story on your alert list and stay tuned for updates. Thanks for reading!


	2. Second

System of Dawn

Two

White Lies and Love Songs

_We'll sing together in the dusk_

_But at the death of dawn not a word may be spoken_

_While the tragedy had stricken_

_We were still praying with our songs for a miracle to happen_

Tiptoeing up the steps to the front door, she gently pushed it open, trying to think of what expression she had on right now. She only hoped it was an innocent one.

"Where have you been, Katara?"

Busted with not a foot in the doorway.

"Uh," she smiled guilelessly, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. "Just out for a breath of fresh air is all." Depressingly she saw that the mail had been brought in, the broom picked up and sweeping finished. Those might just do her little lie in before it even had time to live.

"Hana finished your sweeping for you. You should thank her later."

"Yes, I'll be sure to."

The older woman shook her head, "Children…" With one last disapproving look to Katara she left, off to finish her own tasks.

Left alone in the entry room, the girl sighed in relief. It looked like she wouldn't be sentenced to death for high treason just yet.

Zuko had detained her longer than she thought. He set out how they were to communicate for the next few days. Each afternoon he would leave a letter in the mailbox for her. It would be marked with a false address, so if the other maids were to find it first, they wouldn't suspect anything, and Katara could offer to take it to the proper house (which didn't exist, of course, as a further safety precaution.) It would be written in code, and every other character could be crossed off to reveal the real message. Katara would write her response and put it in the mailbox for him to pick up.

There was little risk, all in all, of being found out using this means. Katara didn't know Zuko could be so clever. In eight days they would leave after Zuko's shift was over. He wouldn't be found missing until the following Monday, giving them a day of head start. In those eight days they were to make the necessary arrangements and scrounge together whatever money and supplies they could.

Finding Katara's brother would be first on the to-do list. He could prove a valuable asset to them; the two needed all the help they could get. Then they'd make their way to the capitol, where the palace and Fire Lord were. From then on, they would use whatever means necessary.

For the time being, Katara had chores to do.

XOXOXOXOXOX

The air was rank and foul in that part of the small city. Decrepit buildings huddled together as if holding each other up. In that respect, Katara was better off than he. She got to live with the family she worked for in the high-end section of town. A shared apartment in the slums was the best he could do for a mailman's pay.

Jumping up the creaky old steps of his building two at a time, Zuko climbed to the second story and walked down the hall, counting off the doors as he passed.

One… Two… Three… Four. To his dismay, the door was slightly ajar. That was one thing to look forward to—never having to see his roommate again after eight days. He pushed it open and, unlike _someone_, shut the door behind him.

"Lee," the young man grinned, looking up from his script. He worked as a fill-in for an acting troupe. Unless acting, he could be found as an usher or cleaning up the theatre before and after the show.

"You're in late. Getting busy with a young lady?" He then proceeded to make a crude gesture with his hands that Zuko rather wished he hadn't seen.

"No."

"Young man?"

"_NO."_

He laughed at his reaction. "Ha ha, okay, I believe you."

His one good aspect was that he dropped subjects quickly.

"Kohro, I need to borrow some money."

"Sure, man. How much?"

"As much as you can give me."

"In with a loan shark?" He shook his head, "That's not like you. When do you need it by?"

"Eight days."

"I get my pay check Thursday, so I guess I can help you out. But this means we're even for you saving my ass last month."

"Thanks. One more thing. You can't tell anyone about this."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "Jeez, man. Didn't know the mail business was that dangerous."

Zuko shrugged, not wanting to answer that.

"Just don't go getting yourself killed."

If that happened, thought Zuko, he would look back at this and laugh at the irony.

XOXOXOXOXOX

Something isn't right with that girl."

The two older women peeked out from the kitchen at Katara, who was wiping the table off with a rag. She'd been on that same spot for five minutes, staring absently at it.

The younger of the two, Hana, rubbed her chin in thought. "Do you think she is sick?"

Old and wise, Xio Me dismissed that. "She's not sick. Her cheeks are rosy and her posture at ease."

"Then what is it?"

"She's in love."

The two giggled like schoolgirls, thoroughly enjoying this. "Ah, to be young…"

Katara stared past her surroundings, thinking how her life would be completely different in just eight short days. She might die. She might be thrown into a prison cell somewhere and tortured for information. She might be incinerated on spot by the army. Even more unbelievable, she might succeed. A hand on her shoulder woke her from her reverie and she looked up in surprise at her co-worker.

Xio Me leaned on her shoulder, gazing maternally at her with dreamy eyes. Hana hung back a few feet, watching excitedly and lost in her own fantasies.

"Oh, my little Katara," sang the older woman, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Um," she mumbled, a bit lost. "Tell you what?"

"We wouldn't have been mad at you, dear. It's a wonderful thing. We can even forgive you for slacking on your chores."

"What are you talking about? Tell you what?"

"That you're in love!"

The colour drained form her face and her mouth hung agape rather unattractively. "L-love?" she stuttered.

"So who's the young man you're head over heels for?"

"I'm not in love!"

"Whatever you kids call it now."

Before she could object, Hana cut in. "Oh, Katara, it's so wonderful!"

"I'm not in love!" 

"You can't fool us, Katara. We saw the way you've been acting lately."

"I'm not. I'm not. I'm not!" Her face was red from blushing.

Hana pulled Xio Me off to the side. She whispered, "Methinks she doth protest too much."

She nodded in agreement. "Let's leave her be for now. We can question her more later."

The two women retreated and Katara was left red-faced and completely lost. Furiously she began polishing the table, being sure to keep her mind on her task this time.

"I do not…"

End Chapter Two

A/n: Thanks so much for all the support I've gotten! D The three OC's in this chapter won't play too big a role in the story, but they were necessary for this part. Hana is around thirty-two and Xio Me is about sixty. Kohro is the same age as Zuko, seventeen. Katara just turned sixteen recently, and Zuko is due for a birthday soon. I'm not really paying much attention to ages, though. It's hard, since they don't really say when the characters' birthdays are in the show. Everyone is about a year and a half older than they were in Season Three. Thanks again for reading!


	3. Third

Three

The Willing to do the Impossible: A Fool's Errand and a Blind Man's Call

_Ride the cloud to paradise _

_For shadows fallen here are graves to be made_

_The caravan had seen it all_

_Save the unsung bell with sweetest heartaches_

Hana and Xio Me had been giving her little pep speeches on love and relationships all week. At every chance they had, they pumped her for information on her mysterious lover. Katara shook her head at their schoolgirl antics. Just because she was spacey and acting slightly suspicious didn't mean she was in love. Of course, it was a better accusation than the reality.

Indeed, they'd been acting like doting mothers recently. The girl was almost sad now to leave them so suddenly without a good-bye. But then, that lover scenario could work to her advantage. Maybe they would think she'd run off to elope. It was a little after midnight, and everyone except she was asleep. As quietly as possible, she grabbed her bag of pilfered food and clothing and slid open the door to their quarters, closing it gently behind her. She tiptoed through the house to the front door and slipped on her shoes. Taking a deep breath, she left the house for the last time, and was plummeted into darkness.

Zuko and she were to rendezvous in the park, take inventory of their money and supplies, and leave. Adjusting the pack on her shoulder, she tried to look completely natural, even though her heart was racing. The roads looked foreign in the darkness, and she worried for a moment that she might get lost. But when she got to the commercial district, in the light of street lanterns, she felt more confident about her route.

At this time of night, only rummies and bums were out wandering the streets. She got a few cross looks from a group of drinking buddies, who must have been quite confused to see a young girl out alone at this hour. The air was crisp and fresh, smelling not at all like a city, but more like clean mountain air.

Coming to the fork in the road, she paused in the middle of the street, trying to remember which he'd told her to take. One led to the next town over, the other to the park and agricultural district. She called to mind the mnemonic she'd made up—Right is wrong, but left is lucky. She smiled and headed down the left route.

XOXOXOXOXOX

Zuko waited impatiently, leaning against a thick tree. His pack rested at this feet; he'd taken it off his shoulder after a few minutes. He'd arrived a bit earlier than planned, not wanting to stick around in his apartment for another half hour or so. He was nervous about this whole thing, even if he didn't look it and would never admit it. Any number of things could go wrong. There were fates worse than death that were a strongly possible outcome for them. He worried whether Katara would hold up.

He heard soft footsteps approaching and looked up, relieved to see the girl walking up the pathway. To his disbelief, she didn't seem nervous in the least bit. She was almost… Excited. You could even call it happy.

"Hey." She smiled at him, taking off her own pack and plopping it on the gorund.

"Hi," he replied, not as perky. Straightening up, he assumed a more businesslike tone. "How much money do you have?"

"Thirty-seven copper pieces."

He scoffed, "That's it?"

"Hey! That's more than three week's pay."

"You're practically free labour."

She shrugged, "It came with room and board, so I'm not complaining." She looked up at his face curiously. "How much do you have?"

"Four-hundred twenty."

"Jeez. Life's savings?"

"Not really. If you had a real job, you'd have that much, too."

She snorted. "I'm not even from this country, remember? Not much opportunity for me."

"Why didn't you go back to the Water Tribe?"

"To see my home be destroyed, or to see the look on my people's faces when they realized that I'd failed them?"

He looked away and grabbed his pack, throwing it over his shoulder. He'd have to work on that—not pissing off his only ally. "Did you bring any food?"

"A few day's worth."

"Good; so did I. Let's go."

"Now who's not wasting any time?" She grinned as if saying all was forgiven. As the two started walking, he wondered how someone could be so forgiving and innocent in this time of war. He only hoped that wouldn't change.

"So, where are we going?"

"first we'll find your oaf brother. We'll need his help. Then we're going to buy some arms."

"Won't we need identification for that?"

"Only if we want to do it legally."

"Oh." She shook her head. "Of course. I forgot who I'm dealing with, here."

"I'm not a criminal."

"Treason isn't a crime?"

"Hey, aren't we the good guys?"

"I guess that would depend on who you ask."

He raised an eyebrow. "I'm asking you."

She paused, thinking it over. "Well… We're trying to save the world, so I guess we're good."

"Just remember that no one else sees it that way."

"Well." She shrugged, smiling at the irony, "That's depressing."

Beside himself, he smirked. This was going to be interesting.

End Three

A/n: Yeah, I know. Short. This chapter was four and a half pages handwritten. The next chapter is thirteen. Sorry, there was no other way to split it. I have something to make up for it, though. Want to see a pretty picture to accompany this story? Check out my deviantart page (I'm merixthexninja there as well.) Thanks for reading!


	4. Fourth

System of Dawn

Four

A Morning and a Mystery: Katara and Sokka

_We'll meet on the rooftop_

_And dance away our fears_

_When the fireflies of evening vanish_

_We'll only be left with tears._

At midnight it hadn't been cold. That was more than two hours ago, though; now it was just a bit chilly for those in short-sleeved dresses. The leaves on the trees looked like black feathers of a crow or nightingale in the near-darkness. Zuko and Katara walked side by side an arm span apart—nearly the width of the back road they were travelling on. Dense forest bordered them at either side. The only light came from a small flame Zuko kept lit, dancing in his palm.

A wind blew past, and the girl shivered a bit.

"Cold?" Zuko looked at her, noticing the goose bumps on her arms.

"No." If he wasn't cold, she wouldn't say she was, either. Stubbornly she forced herself to stop shaking.

Not questioning her, he looked once again to the road in front of them. Another breeze blew past, and she started into convulsions again, cursing the wind shill for spoiling her show of bravado. To both her annoyance and relief, the flame he held grew a bit bigger, and served to warm her up a bit.

Noises at night always seem creepier than they do in the daytime. In the day, if you heard a twig snap, you'd assume it was a squirrel or rabbit. At night, though, your mind imagined all sorts of scenarios. A murderous stalker, a killer wolf pack, a monster from the Spirit World…

To keep herself distracted, she began daydreaming about what Sokka looked like now. Had he grown a goatee out? Cut his hair? She wondered if her brother might even have found a special girl. Maybe they went to poetry readings, and ate lunch together by a lake, and told each other stupid jokes they'd heard.

But then, that only reminded her of Suki.

"Zuko?"

"What?"

She didn't know why she was asking him this. "If someone you loved was taken prisoner, what would you do to save them?"

He gave that a moment's thought, and wondered what had spurred such a question. "Anything."

"Even if it was pretty much impossible to save them?"

He wondered what sort of wisdom his Uncle would have to say about that. "Yeah. No matter how hard it would be to rescue them, letting them go would be harder."

He saw a sad look on her face.

"Yeah. I guess so."

"Mind if I ask why?"

"Well…" She pushed a piece of her hair out of her face, wishing he hadn't asked. "My brother, he had someone like that. We never succeeded at rescuing her, in the end."

"Oh." That's all I can say to that? Oh? He raged at himself, what happened to that wisdom just a moment ago?

The awkward moment passed, silence returning to the travellers. Normally when walking with someone on a long journey, she guessed that used to be Aang, Toph, and her brother, she'd have a conversation with them. Most people were like that. With Zuko, however, the silence suited him. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing—just different. He wasn't like Aang or Toph, or her brother, even. Katara couldn't find a word to describe it, so different would have to do.

Zuko was different.

"Katara," he said coarsely, and it sounded like it was the third or fourth time, by the tone.

He had stopped walking, and she must not have stopped. Spinning around, she piped, "Yes?" making a show of being energetic, as if she meant to keep on walking.

"We're stopping for the night. You seem…" He examined her, searching for the word, "_Tired._" What he meant was weird. Daydreaming and staring off into space: a total lack of attention, made up for in jittery, energetic bursts.

"We're stopping right here on the side of the road?"

"Yes."

"But what about other travellers? Or bandits?"

"No one travels at night, and I'll personally see to the death of any 'bandits'."

He said it in an insulting way, as if she were a child worrying about monsters under the bed.

Ignoring him, she decided sleep sounded nice, and followed his lead. Zuko spread a blanket out on the grass, and she realized she hadn't brought one. That meant she'd have to sleep on the cold ground, where bugs and spiders and snakes would crawl all over her.

He glanced up at her. She was standing there looking foolish, like she didn't know what to do.

"You know, I'm not really that tired," she said. "Let's keep walking."

"You forgot a blanket, didn't you?"

Like a child confessing a crime, she muttered, "Yes…"

He sighed and scooted over. "You'll have to share mine."

"What?"

"You want to sleep with the bugs and rats?"

"No, but I can't share yours!"

He shook his head at her. "I'm not going to do anything to you, if that's what you're thinking. Foolish and immature isn't my type."

"Well, pompous know-it-alls aren't my type!" She stomped over, slid out of her boots, and crawled in.

Zuko turned onto his side, facing away from her, and shut his eyes.

Katara tried to do the same, but wasn't too comfortable with it. Technically, she was sleeping with Zuko. Oh, if Sokka heard that… she wondered who would win in a fight: Zuko or an enraged Sokka. Something had her lean towards Zuko, but her brother would still put up a hell of a fight.

She curled up and made herself comfortable, praying Yue wasn't watching her tonight.

XOXOXOXOXOX

Zuko awoke precisely at dawn. A few rays that managed to get over the tree line cast red-orange light on the two travellers camped beside the road. Just enough light, as it would happen, to see his arm wrapped around Katara's waist and her leg up over his thigh. Her face was right next to his, and she was sleeping soundly with a peaceful expression.

Panicking, he gently retracted his arm and slid her leg off him. Sliding out of the blankets, he put on his shoes and left before the girl woke up.

"Crazy girl," he muttered to himself as he walked, "Puts up a big fight about not wanting to share a blanket, and then I wake up to _that_." The boy shook his head, and made a note to buy Katara her own bedding while they were in town. "I know I fell asleep facing _away_ from her."

XOXOXOXOXOX

Katara cracked open her eyes, yawned, and stretched. "Morning already?" Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she shoved her boots on and stood to smooth her dress. She glanced over at Zuko's empty half of the bed. "Three hours of sleep, and he _still_ gets up before me."

Her stomach grumbled loudly, roaring for a meal. She blushed and put a hand over it, calming her empty belly with a silent vow of coming food. Rummaging through her bag, she pulled out a container of sliced ginger. She frowned, not particularly fond of the sharp, bitter root.

"But this will go bad if I don't eat it soon."

Weighing the decision, she finally decided to eat some. Opening it up, she pulled out a sliver and held it in the air. It responded by wiggling, telling her about how bragably _bitter_ it was going to taste. She made a face, but popped the thing in her mouth anyway. Immediately she got that sickening flavour and swallowed the thing whole like a seal eating a fish.

"Yuck!"

"Katara… What are you doing?" Zuko stood watching her, curious and disturbed at the same time.

Indignantly she responded, "Eating breakfast!"

"You're having ginger for breakfast?"

"It'll go bad soon. I have to eat it."

He shrugged and raised a dish he carried up, walking back over to sit on the blanket. From the dish he pulled a bright blue berry and ate it in one bite.

"Berries?"

"Mhm."

"Where did you get those?"

He pointed a finger towards where he'd come from, popping another of the fruits into his mouth. Hastily she closed up her bag of ginger and shoved it back into her sack, then scurried off towards the berry bush.

Quickly she found it among the paper-barked trees and pulled one off, then gave it a taste test.

Comparing it to the ginger was like comparing a God to a slick lying in the road.

She scoured the pant, picking off fruits and eating them on spot. She left a good couple dozen, though, so more berry bushes could grow and maybe help out some other traveller.

Happy and full, she made her way back to find Zuko rolling up the blanket and securing it to his pack.

"We're leaving," he announced. He slung the pack over his shoulder and waited as she grabbed hers. He didn't wait long enough for her to object, and started walking. She hurried and caught up with him.

"Are we going to get there today?" Katara asked him, fixing her hair while she walked.

"Yeah. We're not that far from the city."

"So you mean we could have spent the night indoors? Where there are no bugs and bandits? In a REAL BED?"

He nodded, and she snorted at his nonchalant response.

"You planned that just to have an excuse to sleep next to me."

"Don't be so vain," he said icily. "We need to save our money, not spend it on luxuries. Besides, what inn would be open at that time of night?"

She finished braiding her hair and tossed it behind her, having no response to that. Katara just couldn't wait until Sokka joined them and she wouldn't have to deal with his attitude all by herself.

"Hey…" he mumbled almost as if embarrassed. "I'm sorry. That wasn't fair. We probably could have afforded to spend the night somewhere."

She was taken aback by his apology. Now she regretted thinking that about him. Zuko did show kindness… Sometimes.

Between the sparkling glimmers of gentile manner and the biting sarcasm, what was his middle ground? Was he just a variety of extremes, or was there a hidden Zuko somewhere, one not of contradicting opposites but harmonies?

"It doesn't matter."

He sighed, relieved that she didn't blow up at him. Her cooperation was more important than a silly dispute. He needed her for this. They were in it together.

On the horizon the city was coming into view, and fortunately no soldiers were stationed out front. There were probably a few in the city, though, to keep order. The forests gave way to fields, where peasants were dotted throughout, picking crops and ripping out weeds. In the city limits buildings rose up three or four stories high in some parts. A few people wandered the streets, and soon Zuko and Katara joined them.

"Where does your brother work?"

"Um… I'm not sure."

He smacked his head. "Great! You have no idea?"

"Well, it's somewhere in the industrial section."

He grabbed her wrist and tugged her along, partially satisfied with that answer. Searching one section was better than the whole city.

He walked up to a man selling what looked like badly crafted tools. "Do you know a boy named Sokka?" The man shrugged, busy looking for customers.

"Hey! This is important. He should be about sixteen or seventeen with dark skin and a foreign look to his eyes."

"Never heard of him, kid. Now get lost. I have to sell these." He glanced up at Katara, noticing her for the first time. "Hey, girlie. Want to buy a hammer? I can nail you for free." He winked suggestively at her.

Disgusted, Zuko pulled her away from the obscene man, wishing he could just blast his head off with Firebending and not have to worry about being arrested.

They tried a few more places with no luck. No one had heard of him, and Zuko was out of patience. "Ugh! Did your idiot brother even keep the same name?"

"Yeah, of course. He wanted me to be able to find him if I needed him."

"He did a great job of that." Sighing, he leaned against the wall behind him, hitting the back of his fist against it angrily. He nearly fell backwards when it opened up. Apparently, that wall was a door.

A short white-haired man looked surprised to see them. "Can I help you?"

Katara smiled apologetically. "We're looking for someone. Do you know a boy named Sokka? He looks a bit like me, but taller and older, with his hair in a wolf tail style."

"Oh! Are you friends of his?"

Zuko suddenly came out of his foul mood. "You know him?"

"Yes… I did. If you're looking for him, though, I can't help you."

"What?"

"I was his boss up until about a month ago. Then he just vanished one day with not a word of warning. He was my best worker, too."

"Do you know where he went?"

"If I did, I'd go drag him back here myself."

"Oh." Katara's heart sank. _Vanished?_ "Well, thank you very much."

"If you see him, tell him to come back to work!"

The door shut, and Zuko muttered obscenities, cursing his luck. "That's just fantastic! He probably went off with some pretty girl."

"No, he would have written to me! I think something happened to him."

He sighed, not wanting her to get depressed about it. "Don't worry. I'm sure he's fine." The boy adjusted his pack, "Stupid, but fine."

They started walking, heading out of the city. "So, what now?"

"I guess we'll have to do this without him," he replied. "Before we do anything, we need weapons. You can't Waterbend here, so you have no way to defend yourself, and I can't fight for both of us."

"You mean I have to use a weapon? Like a sword?"

He nodded.

"But I don't know how. The closest thing to a weapon I've ever handled is a fishing pole."

He chuckled at that—Katara trying to use a sword like a fishing pole, tying a line to it and casting it at an enemy, then reeling him in.

"It's not funny!"

"Don't worry," he said calmly. "I'll teach you."

Teaching her how to use a sword? Like, by demonstrating, or…

She tried to find something clever to say to cover up any stray blush. "I'll look forward to it, Sifu Zuko."

He paused a moment, and then, in a quiet voice, responded, "Don't call me that."

End Chapter Four


	5. Fifth

System of Dawn

Chapter Five

The Blacksmith: Forging More Than Swords

"There it is."

On the hilltop a village was situated, surrounded by fields. It was a day after they learned of Sokka's disappearance, and Katara was just starting to cheer up again. Zuko had tried to be a bit nicer to her. He'd even volunteered to trader her ginger for some bread so she wouldn't have to eat something she hated.

Now they were winding their way up the trail. Somewhere in that mess of huts and houses was their blacksmith. Zuko could just feel his wallet shrivelling up now—illegal goods are never cheap. As long as there would be twenty coins left over for the inn and breakfast, it would be fine. He'd be surprised if it cost that much, though—his guess was two hundred fifty or so.

"Okay, where?"

There weren't many people about; they'd probably all gone to work in the fields by now. But Zuko spotted an elderly man sweeping his porch. A few moments later they had directions to go by, and not ten minutes later were walking in the door of the smithy.

A rather dirty man with a large build was polishing up a sword hanging from the wall. Even though he clearly saw the two standing at the counter, he finished his work there before attending to them.

"Can I help you?" He at last paid attention to the young man rapping his fingers impatiently on the counter top.

"We're here for a _special_ deal," said Zuko, who'd obviously had practice at this sort of business.

"What do you need?"

"Two swords. Make them as simple as you'd like—just good quality with a sharp blade."

He grinned. "Just so happens I have two like that in the back." The blacksmith lumbered behind a curtain to a backroom, and there was banging and clattering. He returned with the weapons and sat them down for Zuko to inspect.

"They'll do," he said, running a finger along the fine edge. "How much?"

"Six hundred."

"What?!"

"Sorry, buddy. You know how dangerous these deals can be. If it isn't gonna earn me a pretty penny, then I'd just as soon have you arrested and hauled out of my store.

Zuko held back a swear. They didn't even _have_ six hundred. "Four hundred."

"No."

The Firebender's temper flared up. "These aren't even worth half that! Four hundred!"

"Six hundred," he pressed. "Or maybe your little friend over there would care to contribute?"

"Huh?" Katara didn't quite catch on.

"Give me half an hour in the back with her, and I'll give you the swords for free."

BAM!!

Zuko tugged the man by the collar so his face was next to his, the man's bulk slamming into the counter.

"Being caught doing shady business," he said menacingly, "Isn't all you'll have to worry about if you even _think_ about doing that with her." Zuko gave his collar a tug or two for effect, knowing the man must be choking by this time. "Now, _how much_ did you say those swords were?"

He sputtered and gagged a bit, his face turning blue.

"Free? Well, how kind of you." Zuko shoved the man backwards by the throat, sending him collapsing on the ground, gasping for breath. He grabbed the two swords and lead Katara out the door, leaving the man to curse and rub his bruised neck.

"Scum," he muttered, handing her one of the weapons. "The Fire Nation never used to be like this," he told her. "Obviously the war victory had dulled their manners."

"Um…Zuko?" She looked a little nervous. "I'm not sure what that was about, but… Thank you." She smiled at him.

He rubbed his head, thinking it was best she didn't know. "Think nothing of it. Any man would do the same."

Since when did Zuko get so… Polite? She was a bit amazed at the sudden show of chivalry. Amazed, and…

"Since we saved some money on these," he gestured to the swords, "We can afford an inn tonight."

She grinned, giggling at the prospect of a comfy, plush bed. "Great!"

He held back a chuckle. She got so excited over the smallest things. He understood now hwy the Avatar had such a crush on her. Boys often fell in love with that kind of naïve, cheerful girl. Even now, she still acted more girl than woman. It was kind of nice, in a way. If Azula had been more like her, he might have enjoyed having a little sister. Unfortunately, Azula was… Azula.

If she ever got married, Zuko would feel sorry for his brother-in-law. He might not live long enough to see the kids.

At the inn Zuko and Katara rung the bell at the reception desk and waited for the woman to come over. "Hello. Do you two need a room?"

"Yes. One night, please."

"Sure thing. Let's see…" She looked over a chart for a moment. "Room three is empty, would that be okay?"

"Sure."

"That'd be thirty copper."

Zuko went to hand the coins over when Katara interrupted, "Just one room?"

"What, can't share?"

"No! I mean, you're…"

"Once again, I'm not going to try anything," he whispered to her. "We can't just spend money frivolously."

"Fine."

He handed the coins over and took the key.

"But I get the bed!"

"You expect me to sleep on the floor?"

"Yes," she said matter-of-factly.

"Listen, you—" He was about to say peasant and give her a good chewing out, but held his tongue. _Comrades_, Zuko. Comrades. Instead, he just grumbled and shoved the key in the door when they reached number three. Inside, the room was empty, with only a bed and small dresser. A single mirror adorned the wall.

"There's not even a chair! I am _not_ sleeping on the floor."

"You're not sleeping with me."

"Then you can have the floor."

"What?!" She tossed her bag on the bed, claiming it. "No!"

He took his pack off and tossed it next to hers. "I don't care what you do, but I'm sleeping on this bed."

They glared at each other. Simultaneously, they sat down on the bed, facing opposite directions. This would have kept up all night had the grumbling of stomachs not interrupted.

Zuko was the first to speak. He hesitated, and then said resolutely, "Let's get something to eat."

"Okay," she agreed.

They stood and left the room, their disagreement behind them for the meantime while they shared the common interest of food.

On their way out the receptionist caught Zuko's attention. She was wiping off the counters with a wet rag, and he asked her, "Do you know any good places to eat around here?"

She looked up and smiled at him. "Sure. There's a teahouse down the road, and they have soup and sandwiches there, too."

"Are they cheap?"

"As cheap as you'll find. After you leave here, go left. It's not too far."

"Thank you."

The pair followed her directions. About a quarter of a mile later, they saw the teahouse sign and knew they'd arrived. The steps that led up to the door were made of polished stone, and from the sliding door another couple emerged, laughing at a joke or something. Zuko hesitated to enter, reminded of the Jasmine Dragon, but Katara walked right in. She looked back at him and asked, "Are you coming?"

He muttered something inaudible and followed behind her. They took a seat at a small table and waited to be served. It didn't take long for a waiter to come over. He looked fifteen or sixteen, and was a little on the thin side.

"Hello. What would you like?"

Katara went first. "A cup of green tea with sugar. What kind of soup do you have?"

He went through a memorized list. "We have carrot-turnip, spicy beef, vegetable stew, and lychee nut."

"Lychee nut? That sounds interesting," she remarked. "Can I try that?"

"Okay. You, sir?"

"Black tea and spicy beef."

"Any sugar?"

"No, thanks."

"Okay!" He smiled, "Be right out with that."

He left, and Katara grinned at Zuko. "I finally figured out what's wrong with you."

"Huh?"

"You're always so unfriendly because you don't eat enough sweets!"

He frowned. "That doesn't even make sense."

"Sure it does. You are what you eat, and you never eat sweet things, so you're mean and bitter."

"Hmph. I figured out what's wrong with you, too."

"There's nothing wrong with me," she replied indignantly.

"Yeah, there is. You're a Waterbender because you never eat spicy food," he whispered.

"Being a Waterbender is a good thing."

He chuckled just enough to piss her off.

The waiter came back over with the food, stopping the teasing. Their stomachs growled when they smelled it. Next to Katara's tea he sat a dish of sugar and a spoon. Then the boy sat Zuko's cup and bowl on the table and went to take another customer's order.

She took the sugar dish and spooned some into her tea, setting the dish back down half-empty. While she was stirring it in, Zuko commented dryly, "You'll get fat from so much sugar."

She flushed, eyes darting to her stomach. "I'm not fat!"

"No, but you're red."

"Sheesh… I wonder why." Embarrassed, she took a sip of her soup, trying to ignore him. When she tasted it, Katara smiled.

"Zu—" she started, and he gave her a harsh glare. "Er… Lee. Try this soup."

"No, thanks."

"Come on," she held a spoonful to his mouth. "Try it."

He sighed and took a taste. "It's pretty good," he remarked, sounding surprised. She grinned and went to downing the soup. They ate in silence, appreciating the good cooking after days of makeshift meals.

When they finished, Zuko left the money on the table and the two headed back to their room with full stomachs. When they entered the room, Zuko said casually, "So, are you still going to make me sleep on the floor?"

She looked at him, won over from a pleasant dinner. "Okay, you can sleep on the bed with me."

They smiled at each other.

End Chapter Five


	6. Sixth

Valley

Valley

Zuko could have died. Not once, but TWICE did this happen. For the second time, he woke up to find Katara clinging all over him in her sleep. Now an expert at untangling intertwined body parts, he slipped out of bed without waking her. The exasperated boy grabbed a change of clothes and left their hotel room, headed for the bath.

In the hall he was greeted with the smell of breakfast cooking. An old woman approached him, pushing a cart of cleaning supplies. She stopped and greeted the boy.

"We're all having breakfast in a little while, the staff and guests. You should come; the chef cooks a mean puff tart!"

He nodded politely and the two went their separate ways. Zuko figured they had time for breakfast before heading off, and decided to wake Katara when he got back so they could go eat.

XOXOXOXOXOX

"Hey, Katara," announced the young man as he pushed open the door. "Get up, we're eating… Breakfast?"

Stepping in, Zuko saw that the room was empty and the bed hastily made. He was alone, his words unheard.

"That little…"

XOXOXOXOXOX

Sure enough, in the dining hall Katara was situated with a big plate of food, digging in. Zuko sulkily grabbed a plate of his own and filled it, then plopped down in a seat next to her.

"Gee, thanks for waiting for me."

She looked up from her puff tart and saw the grumpy young Firebender. "I thought you already left to get some."

"And what did you do when you saw that I hadn't? Dug in anyway."

She giggled. "Quit being a sourpuss and try some. It's delicious!"

He gave her a last exacerbated look before poking into his food. Katara was right; it was good. He couldn't blame her for ditching him for the food. The two quietly munched away until Zuko spoke up.

"Listen, Katara. We have to start your training today. You've got to pick this up as soon as possible."

She frowned, the thought of swordplay not very palatable, especially in Fire Nation heat.

The girl consented, though. Sokka _had_ looked pretty cool wielding his sword.

XOXOXOXOXOX

Sunshine poured down, hot and bright in the patches that shown through the canopy. The trees here were very tall and widely dispersed, making travel easy. From the village, they headed a few miles west into a more mountainous and unpopulated area. To help her breathe easier during training, they were heading downhill now. In the rainy season, there was a shallow pond at the bottom; now it was just a nice, grass-covered clearing that was pretty much flat.

"Okay," he said, stopping to pull out his sword. "Just watch." Zuko got into position and demonstrated a few basic thrusts and slices. When he was done, he sheathed his weapon. "Try to copy that."

"Uh… I'll try." She had no clue what he did. To her, he was just waving around a piece of metal. She tried to imitate his stance.

"No, spread your legs wider and bend your knees a bit." When she didn't correct it satisfactory, he sighed and walked over to help her. "No, like this," he said, grabbing her arms and straightening them a bit. Her footing all wrong, Zuko gently guided her legs and hips to head her into the proper stance.

"Okay, not try it."

She tried. He chuckled.

"How was that what I showed you?"

"Hmph. I thought it was pretty close."

"It's okay for a first try. Here, I'll show you again, okay?"

XOXOXOXOXOX

Three hours later, the two decided to call it quits for the night. Katara had made progress, but still needed work on… Everything. Their stomachs were growling for a meal. Fresh out of food supplies, the pair took to the woods to find something growing wild. Before they left, Katara grabbed her canteen of bending water from her bag and tied it around her waist.

"What's that for?"

"Just in case."

"My Firebending not good enough to handle it?"

"Fire can't replace water."

It was a few hours until dark. Light and shadows sparkled in contrast on the forest floor. Plants and bushes popped up occasionally, but so far none were edible. A few of the trees bore nuts, though; they gathered some up as they went. Zuko was hoping to stumble across a rabbit or fowl; that would make a much nicer dinner than a few nuts.

Katara stopped by a big bush that had some bright, ripe raspberries on it. "Look, Zuko!"

Zuko looked somewhere, but not at her berries. He heard a scamper off a few hundred feet. Just loud enough of a noise to be a juicy, tender rabbit. He kept his eyes fixed on his prey, so he wasn't watching the ground.

"Shh…"

He crept along slowly and quietly, trying to catch a glimpse of the hare so he could have a real target for some Firebending. He'd done this before when travelling with his uncle. The trick was to decapitate it with a quick burst of flame, leaving the body unmarred. Needless to say, in the face of starvation, he became a professional-grade hunter rather quick.

Katara sighed and ignored him. Men were never happy with a simple vegetarian meal; she knew that quite well from her brother. She let him have his quiet, proceeding o pick her tasty raspberries.

He could see the high grass wiggling from the disturbance around the rabbit's hiding place in it. The green-gold weeds wouldn't save him. Zuko's eyes fixed on dinner; he tried to inch closer, sliding a few feet into the weeds. They reached almost to his knees.

There was a metallic slink, and an immediate and excruciating pain in his leg. His yell scared away the rabbit and alerted Katara. Grimacing, he looked down and saw a bear trap hinged around his calf, hot red blood staining the iron. He would've blasted the contraption away had he not remembered the conductivity of metal.

"Zuko!" She allowed the berries held in her skirt to drop to the ground and splatter red across the forest floor. In a flash she was at his side. He had been trying to pry open the metal jaws, only succeeding at cutting his hands. She reached to her side and popped open the cap of her canteen, drawing out its contents with a twist of her wrists. "Hold still."

Carefully, she sliced aw2ay the metal with her Waterbending and the detached pieces fell to the ground. Taking his arm over her shoulders, Katara helped the boy to his feet and the two limped over to the roots of a tree. He sat down awkwardly, leaning against the trunk for support. The Waterbender knelt down next to him to attend to his injury. With gentle touch, she slowly peeled away the shredded edges of his pants, which were by this time soaked red with warm blood from the wound. Wrapping the same water around her hands, it glowed blue as she moved them over his injury, slowly healing the ripped flesh. A pleasant, tingly feeling replaced the pain and his expression grew calm and peaceful.

"Well," he whispered in a rough voice, "I'm glad you brought your bending water."

She smiled as the blood flow ceased, the wound healed. "Yeah. Give me your hands."

In a jiffy, they were healed with the touch of hand in hand. His eyes glanced back, following the trail of blood to the remains of the trap. "We'd better not stay here another day."

"Bears?"

"No. People. We don't want to be recognized."

"Okay. So… What's for dinner?"

Zuko sighed, getting to his feet and noting that his leg felt better than before. "Well, there's no chance that rabbit is still around." The girl glanced to the red-splattered ground by the berry bush.

"Smashed berries?"

"What a delicacy. It'll have to do." He started walking over to the battered fruit, and took a glance at his leg, where the slashed remains of his pant leg smeared cold and half-dried blood on his freshly healed calf. "You wouldn't happen to be any good at sewing, would you?"

That night, they sat by the fireside, the young man holding out his leg while she slipped a needle in and out of the fabric. Slowly, the ripped cloth came together, joined into one in the fading yellow glow of firelight.

"You know, this would be a lot easier if you would take off the pants."

"Now who's the pervert?"

She frowned, red-faced. "I wouldn't look."

"Blushing like that, I doubt the sincerity of that promise."

She poked him with the needle. "Not interested."

He paused for a moment. "That kind of hurt, you know."

"If you don't want to get stabbed by the needle, then just take off your pants."

End Chapter Six

A/n: Hey, sorry for the delay. 3 Hope you enjoyed the chapter.


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